TL;DR Our annual URC Unconference is coming up on Saturday, March 28th! Register here if you might join us.
1. Science Class + Martin Luther King Jr. Day At our last meeting of the URC Editors, we continued to discuss how we can offer support and resources to science teachers invested in bringing discussions of society and justice into their classes. In addition to the evergreen lesson plans and community of the URC, one of us suggested that teachers are especially open to adding a lesson that’s a break from the norm around special days in the calendar: an environmental tie-in on Earth Day, an introduction to unfamiliar Black scientists during Black History Month, etc. To that end, we’re excited to share a new mini-lesson for use around MLK Day (Mon, Jan 19th); many of us have the day away from school but might be able to use this lesson before or after. In this lesson, students read Dr. King’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech – in which he contrasts rapid scientific and technological development with the relatively slow progress of racial, socioeconomic and peace justice movements – and make data-driven inquiries into whether these trends have continued since 1964. Check it out and, as with all URC lessons, let us know how it goes!
2. URC Unconference, March 28th!We are once again making plans to host a URC-themed Unconference on March 28th, 1 pm – 4 pm Eastern time. For those unfamiliar, an unconference’s agenda emerges from the interests of the attendees: folks in attendance can propose a topic and others interested join and discuss. We did this last year with great turnout and inspiring and useful conversations; topics included “I Haven’t Used The URC Yet And Want To Learn”, “The URC In Today’s Political Climate”; “Restorative Practices” and “Physics And Storytelling”. Since the topics emerge from attendees, we don’t yet know what will be offered this year – but if there’s something you’d like to talk about, you can make it happen! Register here…and if there are colleagues or friends who you think might want to attend, even if they haven’t heard of the URC, please pass the link to them, too!
We loved meeting some of you at October’s URC Social Hour, and will be planning another one in Spring! In the meantime, we’re still working to finish off some exciting new URC lessons, to teach our classes with courage and a clear-eyed sense of justice, and to keep putting one foot bravely and intently in front of one another. We hope you’re feeling able to do the same.
With love, in solidarity,
Moses, on behalf of the Editors of the Underrepresentation Curriculum
Abby, Andrew, Chris, Clausell, Dana, Danny, Elissa, Loraine, Moses, Rachel, and Shinae